Friday

PDP's Ahmed Makarfi Rumoured to be on His Way out of the Party... See Details

The Ali Modu Sheriff camp of the main opposition party in Nigeria -
People's Democratic Party has raised an alarm about an alleged
clandestine move by Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee to
defect to a new party after wooing aggrieved members of the APC.

This is an indication of the unabated crisis of the PDP which has
affected the party's participation in the Ondo gubernatorial election
coming up on the 26th of November, 2016.

It said the plan of the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee
was to dump the PDP after ensuring that it had gained sufficient
confidence of those who appeared to have lost out in the APC.

This is coming few days after Thisday Newspaper reported that the
Makarfi-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have decided to chart a
new course by setting in motion a process that would eventually lead to
the formation of a new political alliance ahead of the 2019 general
election.

A member of the National Working Committee of the party under Sheriff,
who spoke on condition of anonymity to Punch Newspaper wondered why the
Makarfi camp would set up what he described as “inter-party committee”
instead of “intra-party” committee to reposition the former ruling party
ahead of 2019.

The source added, “They (members of the Makarfi group) have been
meeting clandestinely with some disgruntled members of the APC with a
view to forming a new party ahead of 2019.

“They are also talking with those who have corruption cases against them
by either the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, the Police or
the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

He said, “They are looking for people of questionable character and
all those who are not happy with President Muhammadu Buhari in the APC
are their target.

“How do you set up an inter-party committee when the problem is with us, the PDP alone?

“Why would they be scouting for people who have corruption cases against
them, and those who are being tried for one criminal case or the other?

“For us, we will take the party to the people who own it and we won’t
allow just one governor to lord it over the people of his state at all
times.”

It was also learnt that the Sheriff faction had concluded plan to set up
a rival committee on how to rejuvenate the troubled party.

Membership of the proposed committee, which will be named before
Monday, was debated by the faction at its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.